How to read a Tamiya Mini 4WD item number

The name on a Mini 4WD box is not enough. Aero Avante has 14 versions in our data, and every box says Aero Avante. The item number is what tells them apart.

Aero Avante14 versionsCar page ›

This is how I read those numbers. It is a rule of thumb from the 822 versions in the Kit Finder and the 778 parts in the Parts Finder, not a rule Tamiya publishes. There are exceptions, and I list the ones I found.

The short version

• 4 digits: the earliest kits, 1980s.
• 17xxx: beginner's sets.
• 18xxx and 19xxx: regular, standard cars.
• 92xxx, 94xxx, 95xxx: mostly special and limited editions.
• 15xxx: option parts: tyres, wheels, batteries, gears.

Four digits: the first years

The oldest kits have four-digit numbers. The Ford Ranger 4x4 Pickup is 1901, released 13 Jul 1982. Hotshot Junior is 2901, 16 Jun 1986. Five-digit numbers show up in our data from around 1990.

18xxx and 19xxx: the standard cars

A standard car is the plain version, the one that sets the name. The Aero Avante Standard is 18701 (14 Jul 2012). The Raikiri Standard is 18640 (10 Jan 2015). Older: the Max Breaker Standard is 19601 (Dec 1997) and the TRF version is 19611 (Jun 1999). Both ranges also hold later reissues, so read the date as well as the number.

Raikiri7 versionsCar page › Max Breaker8 versionsCar page ›

17xxx: beginner's sets

Raikiri Beginner's Blue & Dog Racer is 17901 (2 Apr 2022). Same car name as the 18640 standard, sold as a starter set.

92xxx, 94xxx, 95xxx: specials and limited editions

Aero Avante Red Special is 94944 (1 Jun 2013). Clear Red Special is 95038 (2014). ADVAN Limited is 92441 (27 Feb 2023). In our data, 126 of the 183 kits numbered 95xxx are flagged limited, 68 of 122 for 94xxx and 100 of 157 for 92xxx. The rest are not flagged. So if the box says Aero Avante and the number starts with 95, it is not the standard car.

Exceptions I found

• One car, two numbers. Max Breaker CX-09 Black Special is listed with both 94689 and 95294 (18 Jul 2009). Check the number printed on your own box.
• Old prefix, later date. Max Breaker Black Special is 19618, dated 21 Nov 2009, though the 19xxx Max Breakers started in 1997.
• No date. Some entries have no release date at all.

Parts use the same numbers

Parts are numbered in the same ranges. 15xxx is the biggest group: 465 of the 778 parts in the Parts Finder. Examples: 15542, a carbon-reinforced Y-spoke wheel (26 mm), and 15009, a Ni-Cd battery and charger set. Body sets for special cars use 94xxx and 95xxx: 95013 is the Manta Ray Mk.II Clear Body Set II, 95001 the Veldaga Body Parts Set. So a 95xxx can be a car or a body set. The box says which, and so does the Parts Finder.

95001Veldaga Body Parts Set (Carbon Pattern)Part page › 95013Manta Ray Mk.II Clear Body Set IIPart page › 15009Mini 4WD Ni-Cd Battery AA 2pcs & Charger SetPart page › 15542Carbon-reinforced Y-spoke wheel, 26 mmPart page ›

Why the number matters

A collector asking "which Aero Avante do I have?" cannot be answered by the name. The number can. It is also what you type into a shop search, a marketplace or the Parts Finder, and it is the only reliable way to say "I am missing this one" without sending a photo. So write the number down when you buy, not just the name.

When one car has many numbers, sort them by release date. The car page does this for you, oldest first. For a number that is not in our data, check Tamiya's own product page and the Mini 4WD Wiki, and tell me so I can add it.

Check yours

1. Find the number on the box.
2. If it is a part, search it in the free Parts Finder.
3. If it is a car, open its car page: every version is listed with its number.
4. To keep track of which ones you own, that is the Kit Finder.